A small glimpse at that which lives on the island of Roves. Not just the folk of that land, but a great horror known to few; the faeries.
“The people of Etrúen slept wearily that night, the lords and guards struggled to sleep at all as all awaited the light of day. The last day of Roves’ innocence was upon them, and a new age would arise. An age which all hoped would allow Roves to fight back the Sagerin, who now aside from a few rebellions in conquered territories, focused their power and might upon us. The prisoners were brought out by the guard, and the lords assembled with them before the bridge that had appeared beneath the traveler’s feet. The prisoners’ hands were bound before them, and upon them the banner of Roves was draped, just as on all others there, a red banner with a black ship upon it which had a white sword in place of its mast.
None had ever seen a Faerie Feast, let alone knew what it entailed, and although the people’s thoughts focused heavily on that, it was all pushed aside as the first step was taken by the lord of Etrúen. As each step was taken over that bridge, the lords, guards and prisoners found that the faerie lands loomed ominously about them, much more than could be seen or imagined on the other bank. Even the trees seemed to wish they could reach down and take the lives of those who entered. Century upon century of occupation by the faeries in this place corrupted the forest beyond recognition. The place seemed haunted by the arcane and the remains of those who were lured here in ages past. Eyes seemed to be everywhere, but never could they be caught in sight. The silent stillness of Veriné Fré was broken only by the footfalls of those upon the path and the crashing of falling leaves about them. But the sounds seemed so unnatural they could have lain upon the other side of the world, or even another world all together. The solemn march of the first payment to the faeries continued onward. The persistent silence between each footfall and each falling leaf growing deafening as they went, though as each leaf fell, it seemed to be as a boulder crashing down a mountainside. The prisoners were led by a single guard before them, and two behind to ensure they kept their place. All kept absolute focus when they could to stay on the path alone and set not a single toe off the edge.
To those who traveled the path that day, it seemed an eternity, onward through a forest which never changed its features. It began to seem to most that this was simply a death march for all involved when they came suddenly upon a fork in the road. To the left and leading far north toward the mountains lay the Faerie Feast, and straight ahead were thousands of faeries, as though they were a living wall leading far into the distance, perhaps all the way to the fortress in the east which was promised. Their blue skin and hateful eyes, their jagged teeth and claws, all seemed fixed upon the party, who froze in their place. All had heard stories of the appearance of the faeries, but to see them brought shock and fearful disgust, though there would be no time to linger on this appearance. The largest of the faeries was at the front and moved toward the lord of Etrúen who remained at the front of the party. The hate which lay inside that faerie’s eyes seemed to grow more intense as it stared into the lord’s eyes, as though he had been seen before in his city on the border of Veriné Fré.
It bared its teeth further and pointed to the northern path. The silence did not remain, as the faerie continued pointing, it cried out with such a shrill and vile scream, the sound was so loud that they felt the people of Etrúen could hear it. But that scream did not remain solitary for long, as it was joined by each and every faerie there, hundreds, thousands of them, all screaming out that vile and piercing sound. It was so terrible that all those in the party held their ears and began moving quickly up the northern path, some having to be pulled along so they would not run back toward Etrúen. The northern path seemed somehow more ominous than where they had just been, as they made their way they were followed by the mass of faeries, silently moving close behind. Every pair of faerie eyes locked onto the party, hoping for a single careless or misplaced step to feed their eternal hunger.”
The Ederren 